Learning from past mistakes is part of growing as an
investigator. When it comes to interviewing, it is important that fraud
examiners don’t hold themselves back for fear of asking the wrong questions or
making other miscues. Too much restraint could leave questions unasked, and
stones unturned, to the detriment of the investigation.

That was one of the key lessons shared by Jonathan E. Turner,
CFE, CII, in his Tuesday presentation: “The Fraudsters Strike Again!” (session 11-A)
at the 24th Annual ACFE Global
Fraud Conference. Turner encouraged attendees to adopt a rule of three for
self-evaluating each interview situation: following the interview, identify
three things you did right, and three things you did wrong. By giving yourself
an honest assessment, you will be able to improve your skills for the next one.

Turner reminded the audience that in an interview, the fraudster always knows more than the interviewer. After all,
they are the one who perpetrated the scheme. The key is to take each bit of
information they provide in stride – don’t express surprise, confusion or
otherwise give away any “tells” to the individual that could lead them to believe that they are
in control of the information.

“People will say things during an interview that you can’t
imagine,” Turner said. “You need to be able to make it sound like you already
knew it.” For example, if the individual unexpectedly confesses to something,
proper responses would be “tell me more about how this started” or “walk me
through what happened.”

Body language during this portion of the interview is
important. Don’t show a visible reaction of surprise to anything revealed
during the interview. “Remember – we look
at them, but they also look at us,” Turner said.

One of the most critical pieces of advice from Turner? “Don’t
exaggerate or embellish, and never say something that isn’t true.” The
fraudster will immediately clue in to the fact that you don’t have all the
information and may only be fishing for leads. At that point, the interviewer
is at a terrible disadvantage.

Another important thought that Turner wanted to share with
the attendees is this: the question you don’t ask is much more damaging than
asking the “wrong” questions. Don’t let a fear of making mistakes hold you back
from asking the questions you need answered. You often won’t get a second
chance.